Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 72: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a person, who was made unemployed 12 months ago but in the intervening time signed off for a few days and suspended their jobseeker's payment for that short period, will qualify for community employment under current rules; and the way short periods of employment are treated in relation to eligibility for community employment. [28810/09]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a fixed term basis. CE helps unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a work routine and to assist them to enhance-develop both their technical and personal skills.

The criteria for participating on the community employment programme are based on age and length of time in receipt of various social welfare payments. CE is not designed to cater for short-term unemployed persons as they are not as far removed from the open labour market as the main client group for the programme. To facilitate some short-term employment opportunities, breaks off the live register of up to 30 days are permissible with the 12-month eligibility period, while still maintaining eligibility for CE.

CE remains as an active labour market programme with the emphasis on progression into employment. The programme is managed within this context, with consideration to the availability of resources and the needs of participants and the community.

FÁS provides a range programmes aimed specifically at the short-term unemployed, details of which are available from any FÁS Employment Services office, Local Employment Service offices or from the FÁS website www.fas.ie.